Similarity between Shahrayar in A Thousand One Nights and Oedipus

The actions of Shahrayar in A Thousand One Nights remind me a lot of how Oedipus acted in Oedipus the King.  Oedipus refused to give in when the prophet Tiresias did not want to tell him who killed King Laius. The reason for this was that Tiresias was trying to protect him from finding out the truth that Oedipus was really the killer and had fulfilled his awful prophecy.  In A Thousand One Nights, King Shahzaman comes to visit King Shahrayar and is depressed due to his wife cheating on him.  King Shahrayar does not understand at first why Shahzaman is upset until he tells him after he is feeling better.  The reason Shahzaman feels better is that he witnesses his brother's wife cheating on Shahrayar while he is hunting.  Shahzaman realizes that he is not the only man of high authority who is taken advantage of.  Shahrayar demands that Shahzaman tell him how he has recovered from his depression so fast.  Shahzaman tries to protect Shahrayar from the painful truth in order to try and protect him just as Tiresias does to Oedipus.

Repetition and Discipline (Bhagavad Gita)

The Bhagavad Gita mentioned core fundementals such as devotion and discipline. Though the words themselves provide most of what they generally mean: using reason before acting or training one's mind to do so, I found that the rhetorical repetition of words and ideas between two stanzas reflects an association we can also make with devotion and discipline, that it does not come easy and must be practiced over and over and continuously until a desirable habitual behavior is established. Reading those lines, I could almost picture someone lecturing me. Repeating a certain point in different ways so that it becomes ingrained into my mind. Just thought it was kind of interesting.

Similarity Between Rama's rule in Yuddha 131 in the Indian Section of the Norton and Augustus's rule of Rome

While reading the the Norton pages for India, I noticed that there are similarities between Rama's rule of the world after rescuing Sita from Ravana and Augustus's rule of Rome.  On page 761 in the Norton, it says "During the period of Rama's reign, there was no poverty, no crime, no fear, and no unrighteousness in the kingdom."  Romans also claimed this about Augustus.  They believed that as soon as Augustus gained power in Rome that suffering and fighting would come to an end.  It turned out to be true as Augustus established the time known as the Pax Romana in Roman history which was a time of peace and prosperity for the Roman people.  I found it interesting that although from completely different societies, both Rama and Augustus were very popular figures that brought times of peace with their ruling.

Unity in Ancient China

 Early Chinese history began rocky as it was composed of multiple city states

united by small factors such as a common language, however the main factor that 
united them was their belief in divine rule in which a government being 
overthrown was justified by the gods not seeing it fit for the current ruler to 
retain his power. I find it interesting that the early Chinese were able to stay 
unified as disruptions such as these would ruin a modern day country

The Gentleman

I found, from reading the Analects that Confucianism focuses largely on becoming a “gentleman”. According to one of the sayings, the man was supposed to combine the qualities of saint, scholar, and gentleman. They were supposed to act as moral guides to the people and lead others on their way to becoming one. Gentlemen were obliged to cultivate themselves morally, show filial piety and loyalty where these are due, and cultivate humanity, or benevolence. I also noticed a lot of talk about “good” and “bad” men. From what I understand, the good men are the ones who are gentlemen or at least on their way to becoming gentlemen, and the bad men are those who abandon the Confucian values. Confucius wanted to eliminate the presence of the bad men by getting everyone to follow the Way and be a gentleman.

Greek Philosophy and Confucian Philosophy

To me the Greek concept of syphroceny (everything in moderation) is similar to the Way (following the natural and moral order of the world).  Like Grant points out, ideal relationships are balanced, whether it be relationships between people (husband to wife, friend to friend, ect.) or between objects (jewel for a fruit are not equal in economic value but they both send the same message of love). Confucius warns his students to revere the gods and keep distance from them at the same time. Also, I read in a book called Classic Asian Philosophy, that says that Confucius, Plato and Aristotle shared an emphasis on “inner satisfaction with one’s own virtue.”  Also another connection the  book makes between Plato, Aristotle and Confucius, is that they believe that a genuinely virtuous person will rise above temptation and do the right thing in an ethical dilemma, no matter how difficult it is.  Did these philosophies develop COMPLETELY independently of each other? What’s up with the similarities? 

Ancient Chinese Values: Social inclusiveness

I found it surprising that literature and literacy was highly valued in Ancient shinese culture and was not limited to the rich aristocrats, royal people, government officials, or an intellectual class.  During the Chou Dynasty (1000-600 BCE), reading and writing was for everyone, for example Classic of Poetry had several authors: kings, aristocrats, peasants, soldiers, men…and even women! Whoa! Also, according to Norton (pg 684) arguing people (possibly diplomats) would use lines from poems as zingers.  The 100 schools of thought, spreading their brand of morality and ideologies,  were cropping up as well, as a result, I think, of the cultural emphasis on literacy and education and for all walks of life in ancient Chinese society.  Basically, I think because education was such an integral part of society, they valued creativity, freedom of expression, and morality.  I understand that there is a thousand year or so time gap between this period and now, but it’s interesting that now China has a lot of censorship, and the Cultural Revolution, lead by Mao was against the intellectuals.